Meeting Gift

A woman visiting a brothel was by no means unheard of in Great Yan, but this particular woman clearly had no interest in such pleasures. Moreover, Qifeng Pavilion was already deserted. With Grandmasters clashing, any guest capable of running had long since fled. Amidst the quiet ruins, the woman in crimson robes walked toward the two of them, step by step. A slender, pliable steel sword danced casually about her fingertips, arcs of cold light tracing one graceful curve after another through the air. Her boots made not the slightest sound upon the rubble. Her long robes swept the ground like a blood-red spider lily blooming on the other shore. She was like a specter, yet also like a banished immortal. Just as during the earlier brawl in the main hall where she had seemed invisible to everyone, plucking her zither strings without drawing a single glance, she remained unnoticed. Even by the Saint's remnant soul. Xu Yuan was debating whether to reveal the Saint's remnant soul and flee immediately. A situation like this had occurred only three times before. Once with Lou Ji, once with Tianyan, and once with Xu Changge. As Xu Yuan and Li Junqing continued to retreat, Eunuch Hou could hold back no longer. Bracing himself against the overwhelming pressure, he stepped forward and cupped his hands. "My master is the current—" Before he could finish, a flash of red light flickered. Eunuch Hou's face contorted, and with a resounding crash, he went flying backward, slamming into the hall floor and gouging out a deep crater. The woman in crimson drew back her sleeve, coolly uttering two words: "So noisy." At the sight, Xu Yuan froze, and Li Junqing froze as well. Eunuch Hou showed no signs of movement; he certainly was not playing dead. It was now clear that this woman's cultivation was at least Second Rank or higher. Two useless weaklings like them could do nothing. The silence of the hall deepened with her every step. Xu Yuan's face sank like still water, and he asked internally, *Old Man Luo, Old Man Luo, can we run?* *Don't even think about it,* the Saint's remnant soul replied without hesitation. *This woman is on the same level as your Number Three lover.* *Number Three...* Xu Yuan felt an urge to retort, but held his tongue. Yet while he was secretly conversing with the Saint's remnant soul, the Third Prince beside him took the initiative to step forward. Xu Yuan's heart plummeted. Li Junqing cupped his hands, his tone earnest. "Fairy, please hear me out." The crimson-robed woman came to a halt three paces before them, her phoenix eyes calmly fixed on the speaking Third Prince. Without hesitation, the Third Prince said in a low voice, "If Fairy has come for that six million taels of silver, I can return it to you. But my elder brother has nothing to do with this affair. I earnestly beg you to spare him." Hidden beneath her crimson veil, the woman's expression was unreadable. She said nothing, but the supple sword spinning casually about her fingertips suddenly halted. "I came for him." The blade pointed straight at Xu Yuan. "......" Xu Yuan. "......" Li Junqing froze for an instant, then let out a breath as though relieved of a heavy burden, grinning broadly. "So it was all a misunderstanding! In that case, Fairy, please proceed. Wang here will—" *Smack.* "......" Li Junqing felt his wrist seized, and his heart sank. Gripping Li Junqing's wrist, Xu Yuan looked at the woman in crimson, speaking with complete sincerity, word by word: "His Highness the Third Prince and I are sworn friends through life and death. He commands the Imperial Shadow Guard. If anything happens to me, once he returns to the imperial capital, he will certainly never spare you." "......" Li Junqing slowly turned his head to stare at Xu Yuan. "......" Xu Yuan offered him a bashful smile. The thin blade spun endlessly around the crimson-robed woman's slender fingertips. "Never spare me in what way?" Xu Yuan answered immediately, pointing toward Chu Jingyi pinned to the floor. "You can see her fate for yourself." The corner of the woman's lips curved slightly, her gaze settling upon Li Junqing. "Is that so? You did say just now that he was your brother." The Third Prince took a deep breath, his gaze earnest and his tone solemn. "Brother Zhou and I are indeed sworn friends through life and death, but one matter is distinct from another. If Fairy harms my brother, that is a grudge; yet if you let me go, that is a favor. Favor and grudge cancel each other out, leaving us square." "......" Silence. The woman in crimson listened in silence before speaking after a long pause. "You are quite skilled at balancing ledgers." The Third Prince smiled faintly, his tone deferential. "Fairy overpraises me." The woman raised her sword slightly, dismissing him. "Take your eunuch and leave." Hearing this, the Third Prince turned to leave at once, but Xu Yuan's grip did not loosen. "......" Li Junqing glanced back, sorrow in his eyes, hesitating as if about to speak. At the same time, he placed his other hand over Xu Yuan's, prying the fingers loose one by one. Then— "Alas..." He let out a sorrowful sigh, turned away, hoisted the unconscious Eunuch Hou and Chu Jingyi, and vaulted over the railing without looking back. The hall fell into dead silence. The crimson-robed woman did not strike immediately. Instead, her phoenix eyes appraised Xu Yuan from head to toe. After a long silence, Xu Yuan lost his patience first and cleared his throat softly. "Ahem, Elder Sister, what do you need with me?" "......" Hearing the words "Elder Sister," the woman's expression beneath the red veil seemed to shift slightly, though Xu Yuan could not see it clearly. Taking a deep breath, the woman in crimson casually turned around and walked toward the table where she had been sitting earlier. As she walked, she warned, "Don't think of using the thing in your chest to escape. Follow me." Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan instantly abandoned all thought of fleeing with the Saint's remnant soul, quietly following behind her. The woman sat down by her former table and pointed to the seat across from her. "Sit." Xu Yuan took a seat, smiled, and was just about to speak when the crimson-robed woman unexpectedly removed her veil. A cascade of dark hair stirred in the breeze, framing phoenix eyes, a sculpted nose, and lips like red pearls—she looked like an immortal descended to the mortal dust. Xu Yuan was stunned, immediately scouring his memory for any trace of her appearance. Yet he failed. No matter how far back he searched his memories, he could not find a single person who matched this woman in crimson. It was probably... probably not some trouble he had stirred up in the past. It was impossible to have no impression of such a peerless beauty. Noticing his tense expression, the crimson-robed woman smiled, her eyes curving. Her voice was slightly husky, yet very gentle. "Rest assured, I harbor no ill will." As she spoke, she retrieved three jade boxes from her Sumeru ring and pushed them across the table to Xu Yuan with a smile. Xu Yuan looked at them, but did not touch them. No merit, no reward. A Jiu'an Pill, a Jiexu Pill, and a Runluo Pill. Though not quite on par with the pills he had found in the cave back then, they were only slightly inferior in rarity. Hesitating briefly, Xu Yuan probed, "Um, may I ask what these are...?" "A meeting gift." Resting her chin in her hand, the woman in crimson watched Xu Yuan from across the table, her gaze exceedingly gentle. "Take them." The confusion in Xu Yuan's eyes deepened. "You know me?" The woman smiled playfully. "Of course I know you. Didn't you want to keep your identity hidden? That is why I sent Li Junqing away." Xu Yuan frowned inwardly and pointed at his own face. "Elder Sister, are you certain you haven't mistaken me for someone else?" "A human-skin mask. My cultivation technique allows me to see through it to some degree." As if to convince Xu Yuan, she deliberately circulated her technique, and a gleam of golden light surfaced within her pupils. "......" Seeing that golden gleam, Xu Yuan's pupils constricted, and he immediately glanced sideways toward her delicate feet. Lotus-Treading Cloud Boots, worn properly. *Not her, then...* Xu Yuan breathed a slight sigh of relief. Toward Xu Yuan's presumptuous behavior, the peerless beauty in crimson displayed great tolerance, asking with a smile, "What is the matter with you?" Feeling slightly awkward, Xu Yuan gave a light cough. "Elder Sister, the eye color when you circulate your technique is very similar to a friend of mine." Her eyes curved as she nodded. "Quite a coincidence, though techniques that produce golden pupillary light are actually fairly common." After her words, silence fell once more. The vast hall was completely quiet, save for Xu Yuan and the crimson-robed woman sitting opposite each other. The woman gazed out through the window frame toward the sky, lost in thought. Xu Yuan felt conflicted. He realized this woman truly harbored no ill will, yet she did not seem to belong to the Chancellor's Manor either. After a dozen breaths of silence, Xu Yuan probed again, "Um, may I ask why Elder Sister sought me out this time?" Supporting her chin, she lowered her gaze, her long, delicate fingers lightly tapping the tabletop. After several breaths of contemplation, a meaningful smile touched her lips. "Probably to wait for someone. I waited outside the city for over a month, but that person refused to come out. So I had no choice but to wait around the perimeter for someone who could bring him out." "......" Xu Yuan was taken aback and asked, "Then why not enter the imperial capital?" A strange look flitted across her eyes, but she soon explained with a smile, "It is only natural that you don't know. This secret regulation was established only a dozen years ago. All sect cultivators above the Third Rank must be registered with the imperial court, and any sect members above the Third Rank without official rank wishing to enter the capital must file advance notice. "The notice I filed... the person I am waiting for would never approve it, so I cannot enter the capital." Understood. Xu Yuan instantly grasped her meaning, and realized whom she was waiting for. Her beautiful eyes turned back to him. "Take the items. This is my meeting gift to you." "......" After a brief hesitation, Xu Yuan quietly put away the three pills on the table. Seeing his action, the crimson-robed woman smiled faintly and winked at him. Time ticked away within the ruined Qifeng Pavilion. After who knew how long, the woman in crimson suddenly lifted her gaze. Then, a man abruptly appeared in the hall, drifting down lightly, his green robes immaculate... "......" The golden light of dawn spilled into the devastated hall, and time seemed to stand still. Looking at the green-robed man who had suddenly appeared, the woman sat up slightly, a trace of mockery showing in her phoenix eyes. "I thought you didn't dare leave the capital." These words were directed at Xu Changge, but Xu Changge did not even look at her. Glancing at Xu Yuan, he said softly, "What are you standing around for? Go home." "......" Xu Yuan did not move. He looked at Xu Changge beside him, then tentatively glanced at the woman in crimson opposite him, coughing lightly. "Ahem, I think if there is a misunderstanding, we could actually talk it out." Having accepted her gifts, he had to do something. Yet upon hearing those words, the temperature around Xu Changge seemed to drop by several degrees. After a moment, Xu Changge let out a breath, still not looking at the woman in crimson. "What did she give you?" Xu Yuan's expression betrayed nothing. "Xu Changge, what are you talking about? Give—" *Crash!* Without warning, the table before him shattered into fine dust, scattering on the wind. "......" Swallowing hard, Xu Yuan glanced at the woman opposite him. After an instant of deliberation, he very naturally—and cowardly—began circulating his technique, preparing to retrieve the three pills he had pocketed from his Sumeru ring and return them to her. "Enough." Just then, the crimson-robed woman stopped Xu Yuan. As her voice rang out, Xu Yuan immediately felt the Source Qi circulating within him freeze, and his movement to retrieve the jade boxes halted along with it. It was a very bizarre sensation, somewhat resembling Tianyan's Heaven Character True Words. The woman in crimson frowned, speaking word by word: "Those things were given to Changtian by me. What does it have to do with you?" Seeing this, Xu Changge finally turned his eyes slowly toward her. "Do you think that what you can give, I cannot afford?" The woman in crimson met him blow for blow. "Are we even talking about the same thing? I asked: what does giving things to Changtian have to do with you?" A chill settled in Xu Changge's narrow eyes. "He is my younger brother." "......" A hint of amusement finally surfaced within her phoenix eyes. "After all these years, you haven't changed a bit. That personality of yours still makes people want to wring your head off." Hearing this, the corners of Xu Changge's lips curled as he eyed her coldly. "You are welcome to try." The moment the words fell, wind arose. In their silent standoff, the robes of all three fluttered noisily in the strange gale. Surging Source Qi spread outward around Xu Changge and the woman in crimson. It looked as though a fight was about to erupt. Caught between the two, Xu Yuan sat bolt upright, utterly motionless. He reckoned that if these two truly fought, they would probably go out of their way to avoid hitting him. In other words, there was a chance he might survive. Well, probably. Amidst the murderous atmosphere, the woman in crimson stared at Xu Changge, speaking every word with deliberate force: "Xu Changge, I need an explanation." Xu Changge's voice remained unhurried and as refined as ever. "Just for such a pointless reason, you ran all the way from Daying Province to wait outside the imperial capital for a month and a half?" "It is enough for me." Her phoenix eyes narrowed, and she tightened her grip on the pliable steel sword. Listening to their exchange, Xu Yuan began to piece things together. It was about half a month's journey from Daying Province to the imperial capital, and two months ago happened to be roughly when Xu Changge had gone to Marquis Wucheng's Manor to propose marriage. This woman in crimson likely did not know the truth behind it, since his betrothal had not yet been proclaimed to the world. Thinking of this, Xu Yuan looked toward his elder brother. Xu Changge remained expressionless, showing no intention of drawing his sword. "Put your sword away. I don't want to fight you." Hearing that, the woman in crimson laughed, her gaze unblinking. "You won't fight because of guilt?" "Because there is no reason to." Xu Changge's voice remained calm and steady, speaking each word deliberately: "If you don't believe me, you can try entering the imperial capital." With a flick of his sleeve, Xu Changge cast a cold glance at Xu Yuan, who was watching the spectacle, then turned and walked toward the hall entrance. This time, Xu Yuan did not hesitate. He retrieved the three jade boxes, placed them apologetically on the ground, stood up, and hurried after Xu Changge. He could not meddle in this matter for the time being. If those two truly started fighting, half the mountain would probably be sheared away. The crimson-robed woman trembled, her reddened eyes fixed unswervingly on the green-robed back. Yet as that figure reached the entrance of the hall, his footsteps paused, and his voice drifted back faintly: "Tang Weijun, go back to your Celestial Master Sect. The reason will be given to you later." With that, Xu Changge waved his sleeve, retrieving the three jade boxes Xu Yuan had left among the rubble. Tossing them to Xu Yuan, he took to the air and departed.